Ideas are Bulletproof

"Ideas are Bulletproof"

by 

Gerald Greysmith

I sit here now almost three weeks after completing what I thought was the end of an investigation project into American Yoshinkan Aikijujutsu "headmaster" Bret Gordon and his article on Judoka Barron Shepherd. The damage I assume he hoped it would inflict onto Shepherd was completely and utterly upended by our team with our own work, though Gordon refuses to acknowledge that he and it seems to a large degree his teacher, Steven Hatfield, outright lied. Of course this is not new for them or anyone else who bank their entire martial arts careers on the embellishments of rank and collection of certificates. 

Ever since we informally wrapped our coverage on Konigun Ninjutsu while legal entities take a look at our work I have had quite a bit of time to think. You see, dear readers, I never intended to go past that project nor did my dear and trusted friend Cayce Lancaster. No...we had intended to retire. 

But duty calls it seems.

David Richardson brought into question aspects of our work and attempted to blame the death of Bryce Dallas upon a fellow fraud-buster by the name of Don Roley. Roley helps lead a group called BSMA on Facebook where we hosted our articles on "The Big Ninja" and ensured the story was told for the 1,554 victims we have found as of the writing of this, a real number which Richardson has never cared about one iota. 

We ensured to double down upon the showman who goes by the stage name of "Dorian the Magician." We found out he had enlisted the help of a former BSMA member who had a sketchy past of his own, we defended the work we had completed and proved beyond doubt that Dallas was not a victim of Roley but had died as we had said...from complications resulting from morbid obesity and heart-related issues compounded by an infection Dallas suffered for many years. Lastly we entered into the public view irrefutable proof that "Dorkian" as he is often called had completely made up an entire magic career claiming he was a performer at The Magic Castle. Well, once he was. Once as in ONE TIME, twenty-two years ago. 

It was after that one finished up that Shepherd reached out to us himself and handed us a link to an article blasting him, his background, his legitimacy and his Judo credentials written by Florida Man himself. 

He must be stopped!

Gordon's article sought to demolish the reputation of Shepherd. Investigating his background I delved into his life and found him to be unique amongst many cases I have worked. Why, you ask? Because unlike others in the past Shepherd was a dream come true because he had PROOF of his legitimacy. Plain and simple. 

Without any question he gave us piles upon piles of evidence to show he was not only a true Judoka but thanks to the combined efforts of the Dynamic Duo who originally brainstormed the brilliant idea in the first place to pursue such a ridiculous course of action Shepherd got a long and overdue promotion to Sandan that was recognized by the three major governing bodies of Judo in the United States.

In a brave and yet stunning display of ingenuity and childlike mannerisms Gordon wrote some articles aimed at complete damage control of the situation. He insinuated Shepherd and myself are the same person, accused me of stalking and then also accused Mr. Lancaster of practicing law without a license before stating we were all obsessed with him.

Totally heard these excuses many times before from much more interesting frauds, but what the hell.

 

In anger Gordon prepares to write a new article and show us he still has journalistic street cred.

I had intended to only write about this situation by debunking his fictional masterwork but Gordon seems hell-bent on continuing to maintain what are outright lies in his summation of Shepherd's background in an attempt I believe to conceal certain aspects of his own.

You don't have to tell us you lied, Gordon. The world already knows you did.

So it is with the overpowering stench of piles of pesky evidence Gordon doubled down and refuses to acknowledge he wrote that piece from an emotional and butthurt perspective. Instead he deflected all concerns back onto those of us who were responding to his actions in kind, questioning me for why I do these things.

I assume then the time has come to make my mission to the world clear. It seems that ever since we finished our work on Konigun founder Bryce Dallas we have been consistently called in to apply our abilities to the betterment of the martial arts community as a whole.  In truth we judt get yanked by the collars and dared to expose someone because for some reason they think we can't. The frauds practically dare us.

Thankfully these days we are not alone.

FROM HUMBLE BEGINNINGS

It was 2005 when I was first re-introduced to a case that would change my life and a friendship that has since defined me. E-Budo was afire with discussion about the fake ninjers and from there I set out with Lancaster. Together we determined no one else was willing to shut down the operation which the fatass himself, Dallas, was running from his multiple locations. We worked to keep him busy on two fronts. I was barreling into him by email and phone demanding answers for a crime he had covered up in the town of Cookeville, Tennessee where he had managed to swindle a retiree of a six-figure payout, get paid a second time via the insurance claim on the "structure" he erected for him and then further covered the case up with a massive multi-party suit to include city and county officials.

The Adonis which was Dallas...women turned to literal goo at the sight of him.

It was during this time that Dallas attempted to set me up at a public meeting at a restaurant in my hometown of Murfreesboro, a no-longer small town down from Nashville. An established time and date had been set and my own people inside the establishment watched in horror as after he sat down he handed a firearm to the students with him and informed them to walk me out at gunpoint. At this time he  told them I would no longer be a problem. 

God only knows what was to become of me but based on his size I imagine it had something to do with syrup and sausage.

Meanwhile on front number two Cayce was busy with various victims and former members who had come forward on the old Topix thread concerning Konigun. They each literally took turns dragging him through the coals as everyone launched their long-held tirades at the man who had become the object of their hatred. And in that we found the one piece of evidence we needed to end his make-believe fantasy. Making a trip to West, Mississippi Cayce returned with pictures that showed Dallas was not in Japan during the times he claimed. No, he was attending East Holmes Academy.

In August of 2008 Cayce put those pictures out for the world during the annual "Gathering" and in twenty-four hours the number of dojo which Dallas ruled with an iron fist dropped to exactly one...the one he claimed was at his home in Tennessee. Justice was served. And you can read all about it here.

These pictures effectively ruined Konigun Ninjutsu and stopped it dead in it's tracks. Everyone left by the following year and Dallas would die in his home in Whitleyville with his best friend and girlfriend at his side on a cold December morning in 2010.

Konigun Ends.

QUESTIONING WHY WE DO THIS

As I stated Gordon recently released wrote a piece that heavily mentions yours truly. You can read his latest here, because I actually do cite my sources and ensure to give all sides of an argument. He chooses not to because people would give him a odd looks usually reserved for infectious mold spores. I was saddened that he lacked the professional entertainment quality I had become accustomed to with Dorian's many, many videos accusing me of masturbating to fat ninja. But I'll take what I can get.

In said "article" he poses an interesting question....am I or anyone else who does this kind of stuff qualified or allowed to? I'm not a licensed private investigator nor have I or anyone else on my team claimed to be. But since this was brought forth as a reason to attempt to discredit me I will address it here.

You see when I was growing up I saw with my own eyes the fraud and lies perpetuated by martial arts "masters." It culminated when one of my teachers was convicted later on for sexual assault. I had been young when it happened and dismissed the entire issue as there was no way it could have happened, he was a good person and this was just an unfounded accusation. And sure enough he maintained his innocence throughout the early part of the process. He lawyered up, fought against the accusations to the fullest he could. 

Then evidence came out. He had written letters to the underage student who it turned out was a victim from a very young age. 

I was devastated as was my close friend Robert who trained with me. We were both teenagers and very impacted by this. Robert attempted to maintain a friendship with our former sensei for some while after the fact still not believing this could have happened. Here was this man who stood and told us about virtues such as integrity, morality, honesty and positive character. Yet the whole time he was lying to our faces while facing a sure conviction as a sexual predator. It wasn't long after that the teacher in question was finally in court and signed a plea deal that registered him as a sex offender. I had long terminated my attendance at his class by that time and my dad's business had also taken us back to Murfreesboro by that point.

But the damage was done. I spent three months collecting myself and learning to trust again. How could I look at a sensei, coach or anything else and be trusting to them when I had been let down so badly by one? It took a grappling and wrestling coach to bring me out of that funk and instill in me that not everyone was a shitbag who hurt kids. I took to his training with abandon and with an anger to never let that happen to me and if possible anyone else ever again.

Not me, but Batman does makes everything cooler.

You see when people do things to hurt someone else the victims are not the only ones they commit the crime against. With those horrible actions the repercussions trickle out onto those around the person. Often they are left to help pick up the pieces of the injured and carry them onward while the perpetrator gets to walk away and never face the damage they did...at all. I have never spoken to that teacher since that day save one time when I visited that small town and ran into him. He works as a contractor now, he seems to have a great life. He has remarried and continues to be successful. The victim? She was able to obtain her advanced degrees and move on with her life and focuses on raising her children now.  

But you can see the scars on her. 

They are always with her.

I made a point about three years ago to visit her and have dinner while in town on vacation. We laughed remembering my attempts to be good at the training. She reminded me how terrible I was at rolling and break-falling when I first started and said she had wondered if I would make it through those first three months. She said that it amazing I didn't quit because I was always being beaten down. 

Eventually of course the topic came back around to the subject on the front of our minds. Her pain was small compared to what it once was. She said in the end the only justice she had was that her story was told. She looked at me and knowing I was researching Dallas told me, point blank, don't let anyone else be fooled like that. 

Now I know what you're thinking. Why haven't I said any of this before? 

Simple. 

Because it hurts. 

Because at first in my youthful stupidity I didn't believe it could have been true. Things like this never happened, right? Oh my, as the years have taught me this is NOT true. The truth of the matter hit like a slab or concrete on the top of my head.

I had to watch as her world was ripped apart at the seams because of the actions of another person who lied about their own despicable behaviors and doings. It took finding out later that he had also lied about a good bit of his training to boot so I had wasted my time and money with him. That entire situation changed me. I decided I would not let anyone else be a victim. And it is almost as God directed me that way all along. 

In college I had originally wanted to study nursing but things took a turn and for some reason I changed my major a year in for Social Work. Raising siblings as I went along I attended three different colleges across the southeastern United States and obtained my Bachelor's of Science in the field from an accredited school. This is something the many Soke of the Black Dragon Fighting Society should think about sometime, just saying. (A PhD in Martial Science was not readily available nor seemed useful even if it was.)

After college I worked for almost two years in CPS and then became a contractor for the State and Federal agencies. From there I built a well-earned reputation because I was determined to NOT be like people who I witnessed hurt others. Oh, the horror stories I could tell you from those two years at CPS...but those are stories for another time.

So when I was recently asked by Gordon publicly on his blog why do I think I can do these things, or doing them without a license makes this all stalking I say this in rebuttal:

Using public information you put forth about your art and style are not stalking, it is verification. This is something you have yet to do aside from claim it is. And publishing defaming stories of another martial artist and deflecting questions via email, phone call or in your "articles" does not constitute answers. I have not visited your home, your school or tracked you in the community. I have merely followed leads that YOU YOURSELF and your teacher have put out online. And these webpages change as much as Hatfield's Judo ranking does....almost daily.

As it stands it often takes regular people to tell the truth about certain subjects from time to time. People with no education often are called into make the difference police or investigators can't. Do you honestly think it is the duty of just them to make the wrong things right?

Truman Capote was famous for writing fiction novels. Yet he was so moved by ONE STORY in Kansas, the murder of a family in Cold Blood that he wrote an award winning novel that redefined nonfiction. He is the father of the modern crime novel. He never completed another work afterwards due to being so affected by the novella. 

Robert Graysmith was a cartoonist who worked for the San Francisco Chronicle and saw the case of the Zodiac Killer while at work. Over the course of many years he combed the files of the police, picked up clues on the mysterious figure terrorizing California and wrote an award-winning book that detailed the entire spectrum of the case itself for the world to see.

The Spotlight Team of the Boston Globe spent months building a case which exposed the rampant sexual abuse by the Catholic Church over the course of decades that culminated with the conviction of Father Geoghan. Geoghan would later be murdered in prison by a cellmate who barred the door for the CO's to intervene and died from injuries. Yet, though they were journalists they had to rely on testimony of victims, evidence they gathered and also what was publicly available....

...just like everyone else does.

All who do this work are setting the wrong things right.

People like "Gandalf" Richardson will demean our work because in their heads they're the ones in the right. Dorkian became so obsessed with Don Roley and BSMA that he lost sight of the end goal and ended up on the losing side of things. Articles galore have been written about this loser and still to this day he runs his mouth from the safety of his Facebook group chock full of sycophants and morons who think they know Chinese Energy Arts. You cannot lie in the martial arts community about your background and you do not lie on others. You will be outed and the proof will be made public. 

Morning Breath Personified.

PROOF IS IN THE PUDDING

So no Gordon, you should not be surprised at all about the attention you and your associate(s) have received. A lot of folks are curious about your story and even less believe it. We would come that far to view your evidence only for you to probably say it was lost in a boating accident. As an aside I noticed that your article makes no mention of the Yoshinkan Hombu responding to me. 

Oh but wait, you've covered this issue in detail many times. My humblest of apologies.

So I'm sure you don't mind pointing Yutashi out, right? Maybe you can frame this and put it in the corner underneath your photo of him with your "yoroi." Make sure the fan doesn't clash with the motif.

When you lie about your background it makes me wonder what else could you be hiding? I told you via email that I didn't give a shit if your teacher was real. That should have been your clue there is more here I've looked into than you realized.

You finish your tirade about me asking if I'm real....

Oh, I'm real. And I can prove it.

You see Gordon, what the others before you failed to realize was that I represent the ideal that people like you can never attain. I stand for honesty, integrity, character, the devotion of my life to an idea that people should be free to question everything but also being accountable in their actions.  I dedicated my life to the service of others when I saw the damage inflicted upon my friend all those years ago. I never forgot her tears that night at dinner,  it took me back to the tears she cried when we were teenagers. They echo in my soul and remind me I have work to do yet. 

So you see whenever you see someone do something kind, compassionate, honest, you see me. 

When you're happy to see a friend or loved one, you see me.

I'm one of your students when I look at you in a trusting manner hoping you give me the best you can, honestly and selflessly. Notice I said honestly, right? 

Maybe I'm the man sitting near you at Golden Corral during one of your buffet trips laughing with his children. Perhaps I have entered into Civil War reenactments with you. Maybe I stood by during a sad moment in your walk in life and listened to you. 

I may be the old man you help across the street or the lady you held the door for. 

In kindness and in love Gerald Greysmith exists. And to any who need him he will always be there. 

Ultimately I think you should know that Gerald Greysmith is me, I am him, and I am very, very real. 

I represent the idea of which you cannot possibly understand because you lack the forethought to think beyond the current spin of the story which you tell. The fact you cannot see past the tip of your nose with regards to this shows me everything I need to know. So that said let us make things clear.

I am not Barron Shepherd. 

I am not Don Roley. 

I am not Lordus Sapiens 

Nor am I anyone else from Bullshit Martial Arts, though I am fond of many of those wonderful folks over there. You know who you are, MWAH!

My reaction at Lordus' last write-up.

You may not have the honesty to admit to your shortcomings youngster, and that's fine. You will spend time trying to figure me out and guess what you can about me yet you'll always be wrong. Who I am and what I do is bigger than anything your halfling mind can fathom. And years from now I hope you learn an important lesson in the fact that you lied to yourself more than anyone else ever did. The massive amounts of contradictions found across your many  webpages is hilarious at best. But we will get to that. We have time. Just remember my offer to give you a public venue was true and honest.

You refused. 

And so now my work continues. I do hope you can keep up with me. I move quite fast, and I will not wait on you.

#ideasarebulletproof